Beyond Crisis
by ShadowYazoo
Summary: What if Turks got to Zack in time and were able to save Cloud and Zack? Events following Crisis Core unfold.
1. Real Name

Chapter 1: Real Name

Black Shinra helicopter flew through the skies at top speed, as search for a missing SOLDIER and an infantryman continued. Turks knew they were running out of time. An entire army has been dispatched to eliminate their once teammates. If that army found their targets first…

'Needle in a haystack, yo' the red headed pilot frowned as his eyes combed the endless miles of featureless desert. Reno met that SOLDIER they were looking for – Zack - on quite a few occasions. They weren't close friends but it was hard not to like that man. Boundless enthusiasm, cheerful smile despite all the crap life dealt out to him, caring even for his enemies and always striving to become…what was it again?...oh yeah, a hero.

Sephiroth was a renowned hero, praised by the media for decades and looked up to by many cadets. Yet that same Sephiroth quit SOLDIER, burned down all of Nibelheim and went berserk.

What value did that title 'Hero' held now? Did Zack despise Shinra now, after being hunted down for over a year, or, despite all of that, is still following his dream?

Reno didn't know an answer to those questions, but that gave him a goal as well. He would ask Zack when they find him, in person.

'No mission is impossible…' pitched in Rude, to cheer up the fellow Turk and to reassure himself as well.

'…for the Turks! Yeah, yeah' Reno automatically completed one of the company's mottos, but a confident smirk found its way back on his face. No sense giving up, the mission would be completed no matter the cost.

Cissnei looked out of the window, feeling anxious. She held a box, containing 88 letters, the last Cetra, Aerith, wrote to Zack. Aerith was not informed of the status of either Zack or Cloud, as strictly speaking she was Shinra's prisoner and as such not included in the information network. However, Aerith could speak directly to the Planet and even though that information was vague, she probably knew more than she let on.

Cissnei sighed. Planet. That word always reminded her of extremists that claimed Shinra was destroying it by using mako and draining it of its lifesource. She didn't know if that was true or not, and it wasn't her job to think about those things.

Glancing back from the box to the window, she remembered the promise she made to Tseng. To save Zack. She liked Zack, but kept that interest to herself, it wasn't part of her job either. However, he was in danger and there was a real chance army would get to him before they do. In which case he would die without knowing that Cissnei was just an alias. And that didn't sit right with her.

_Hurry up. Please, hurry_

_/_

His whole body hurt, a constant severe pain, which up until now was too strong for him to regain consciousness. Cloud blinked, wincing as the light flooded his senses. But he was also aware of something else besides that. Zack, his best friend, was there. He seemed to recall Zack was there for a long time. He remembered fighting Sephiroth, the rage that filled him at the sight of both Tifa and Zack hurt by the monster he used to look up to. He remembered the searing pain from Masamune sword as it delivered a nearly fatal blow. He remembered coming back out to check on Zack and Tifa, after defeating Sephiroth somehow. But that's when the memory stopped and anything after that was a thick haze.

Zack was leaving. And wherever he was going felt dangerous.

Cloud blinked again, opening his eyes wider to make sure this wasn't an illusion. He reached out to stop his friend. He had to warn him.

There wasn't enough strength left. Dammit.

Cloud was forcing himself to wake up, to summon enough energy to stop this nightmare. Familiar battle sounds were going off in the distance, shots, artillery whistles and metal clashing against metal. Was it coming from the direction where Zack headed to?

Cloud could now see he was in some sort of desert, propped against a large rock. It was hot and his head was throbbing as if it was hit by a truck. He felt sick to his stomach and exhaustion was unbelievable. It took everything he had just to keep his eyes open but that wasn't good enough. He had to go, follow Zack. To stop him.

Weakly he started crawling, dragging his heavy body across the ground. He noticed as a passing thought he was wearing Soldier 1st class uniform. But wasn't he just an infantryman? He never made Soldier, right?

He continued for what seemed like an eternity, move inch by inch. The battle sounds were getting quieter and there were fewer and fewer.

The air suddenly got filled with a roar of helicopters passing close overhead. There were two, both carrying Shinra emblems on them. Both landed just over the hill.

Cloud saw Zack on the edge of the cliff next to that hill, with his uniform battered and face bloodied, struggling to keep the heavy sword from slipping out of his hands. Bodies of infantry littered the place, along with empty shells and discarded weapons.

Three more infantry soldiers exited the helicopter, guns drawn and headed towards Zack.

_No stop! Don't shoot! _

'STOP! DON'T SHOOT' People in black suits filed out of the second helicopter. 'I REPEAT, STOP YOUR FIRE!'

Army men paused and got quickly surrounded by Shinra's special force. As others sorted out orders and legalities, Reno, Rude and Cissnei ran towards the Soldier that struggled to stay on his feet.

'Zack? Woah man, you sure don't hold back. Thanks to all that though, we managed to find you. You…holding in there?' asked Reno.

Zack nodded weakly with a smile. He couldn't trust the Turks, but at this point he didn't have the strength to do otherwise.

'C..Cloud?' Zack's consciousness was fading away, so he only had enough strength to say the important things.

'Strife? Where is he yo? Wasn't he with you?' Reno looked around the battlefield, searching for the man.

Zack winced and shook his head, even though that motion sent waves of pain throughout. What if unthinkable happened? What if army found him somehow?

'Oh! I see him! Yo Rude!...'

Zack glanced where Reno was looking, and saw that Cloud was alive. Before Zack knew it the world went dark and he collapsed.


	2. Protect Your Honor

2: Protect Your Honor

Shinra helicopter was on its way to the headquarters, while two of the on-board medics stabilized Cloud's and Zack's condition as best as they could. Cloud was awake, but still in a daze from years spent in comatose state, while Zack was unconscious. Steady beeping from the heart monitor gave at least some sense of relief.

'So…you are helping us now?' he asked no one in particular, but there was only a red headed girl nearby, so the question was likely addressed to her.

'Just following orders,' said Cissnei in an energetic official tone, though Cloud could have sworn he caught a well hidden tint of worry. 'Tseng, leader of the Turks, ordered us to save Zack. And you by collateral. However there is more to it.'

'What do you mean?' Cloud's eyes focused on the Shinra emblem. There were a few on the uniforms of the medics, one on the wall in front of them, some on containers. Were Shinra infantry and SOLDIER mere property too? Unable to escape.

He didn't know much about the Turks, but it always seemed like they were on a longer leash than the rest.

'The matter of you being Hojo's experiments. Now you both yield unmatched levels of power. It is not in our policy to allow someone like that to act unsupervised. There is no other option than to detain you,' Cissnei frowned. Something didn't feel right about all this.

Cloud nodded and turned quiet to give himself some time to think.

So after that battle with Sephiroth both he and Zack were…used as experimental subjects by Hojo? He remembered that name from mission reports; there was a picture of a black haired man with glasses, wearing a lab coat. Not too memorable, but that face now seemed familiar. It was often obscured by rising green bubbles of some sort. This all sounded like a bad dream.

_Or a very sick joke._

Cloud glanced down at his gloved hand and flexed it a little. He felt weaker than how he was before, but most certainly the exhaustion was taking its toll. Perhaps there was some truth to Cissnei's words, even though he couldn't tell if he had some kind of superpowers. Was it similar to how SOLDIER were? No…even more powerful…like Sephiroth?

Both of them held their own in a fight against a man revered and feared by Shinra elites. Maybe that's why they were chosen to be lab rats. Such a lovely organization… isn't it?

Cissnei didn't say anything more, in fact she did reveal a few classified pieces of information. But she figured Cloud will know sooner or later, and keeping him in the dark could have alleviated the situation.

'What time is…how much time had passed, exactly, since Nibelheim burned?' a knot formed in his throat at the memory. He lost so much on that single day.

'Four years and three months' simply stated Cissnei and nodded in the direction of the display above the helicopter controls. The date and year were there to see, to erase any doubt.

'Gaia…' exhaled Cloud. That was…hard to wrap mind around. He imagined some time has passed, but…four years? What about those that knew him, were they told that he died?

_Tifa_

'Hey…' Cloud started his question.

'The girl that was with you has made a full recovery. She didn't undergo the same procedure as you did.' Cissnei has been getting a few cautioning glances from Reno, who noticed their usually by the book operative was a whole lot more talkative than usual.

Cloud nodded in thanks, feeling at least some weight to be lifted from his shoulders.

Helicopter soon arrived at their destination. Tseng was already waiting next to the landing site, along with a team of medics.

/

The air smelled of medicine, rather than dirt, iron and burnt leather. In a habit to be bright an early the second he was awake, Zack quickly shook off the drowsiness and sat up in the bed. His body set out a signal that this was a bad idea with a flurry of assorted aches and pains, but Zack just smiled. By all counts that battle should have left him in far worse condition, so feeling pain wasn't such a bad thing.

'Zack!' he heard a familiar voice…voice he had not heard since that fated battle with Sephiroth, who was once his comrade. So, Cloud was alright after all, that was good.

He saw the blonde on the medical bed next to his. Both of them were wearing Shinra issued hospital garments.

_Shinra…First they send out an army to kill us and now they are treating us? Makes no sense._

'You…okay?' asked Cloud.

'Had better days, but yeah, I am fine' he laughed 'How about yourself?' Zack was debating if he should jump down and do a couple squats to see if he got his usual stamina back. Maybe in a few minutes.

'I am not quite sure. Hojo did something to us…And a really long time has passed.'

'How long?' Zack didn't know, there weren't exactly many calendars around when you are on the run. Once Cloud told him his jaw dropped.

'Woah woah!…that's several YEARS longer than I thought it was.'

_Is that why Aerith called her letter final?_

'But you know, if it wasn't for Angeal, it could have been even longer. If we ever got out of there at all.'

'You saw Angeal? But didn't the rumors say he died?'

'Those weren't just rumors. I saw it with my own eyes. But it might have been a dream. Hard to say, with how crazy it has been' Zack shook his head and reached for a glass of water that was on a nearby tray. His throat felt a bit dry.

'So your mentor still looks after you,' nodded Cloud. It was a nice thought. He wondered if the same was true about those he will not meet again.

'Aye, that's Angeal for you. And Lazard helped us too, though he is gone now.'

'The Director?' that was the last person he expected to go against Shinra. It was sad how many people they could trust joined the lifestream.

'He was a good guy' Zack swiftly jumped down in between beds to do some squats. It hurt to move, but sitting still was getting to him. After a few he got into a steady rhythm, which was more like it.

Cloud was glad to see his friend back to his usual energetic self. His mind wandered back to what has transpired just a few days ago, and the long stretch before it, that he now knew was three months long. He didn't have many memories from that time, just vague bits and pieces that drifted through a haze.

He recalled wind against his face, smell of gasoline and dirt and rumble of a motorcycle engine. He heard voice speaking of goddesses and degradation. There were often sounds of battle, and sometimes it was quiet, with just night sounds and the ocean. He recalled Zack's voice, as he told him something he didn't comprehend, or as he talked to others that were just muffled noises.

…_We are friends, right?..._

As he focused on bringing back memories, his head started hurting and a low pitched noise seemed to get stronger and stronger. A heavy feeling came over him, and pain shot through his right eye. Cloud winced and brought a hand to his eye, but suddenly the pain was gone just as quickly as it appeared.

He didn't know that when he brought his hand down, the pupil in his eye was cat-like for a brief second, before readjusting and returning to normal.

'You okay, Cloud?' asked Zack, concerned.

'Yeah…' Cloud had no idea what that just was, but it made him worry. 'Hey, Zack. Thank you for taking care of me that whole time. It must have been tough.'

Zack's face brightened. So Cloud was somewhat aware of what was going on. For a while it seemed he would never come out of his comatose state, which was just unfair for someone so young. He still had his whole life ahead of him.

'No problem, I know you would have done the same for me. We are friends, right?' Zack smiled and brought up his arm for their traditional wristbump.

'Right!' Cloud bumped his wrist with Zack's and smiled.


	3. Ancients

Tseng stood up and walked over to his office's window, looking out at the scenery below, somewhat obscured by the Shinra company logo. He wasn't as interested in the view as in a moment of calm to recall the orders that led to the current situation. Orders that placed Hojo in charge of the experiment that drastically changed the lives of two men now in their custody.

On that day the strong smell of smoke was in the air, from Nibelheim burning just a few miles from the mako reactor where their helicopter landed. The ride there was quiet, since Tseng was not a man of unnecessary words and Hojo didn't strike him as a guy who was in his right mind. A sly smirk was always on the man's lips, his eyes glowering from behind his round rimmed glasses. Tseng never trusted that man, since his methods were questionable and his loyalty to Shinra was nonexistent. He simply worked with them because they provided the resources necessary. If someone were to give him a better deal, even if they were their enemies, he would take up that offer without a moment's thought.

_What is Shinra thinking picking someone like that and keeping him around for so long. Especially after he nearly killed Valentine. _

The sterile white of Hojo's coat was in stark contrast with the mayhem around them. He walked through the rubble and flames without paying any heed to them, as if they were of no concern. Tseng could easily picture that the same reaction would have been Hojo's response if it wasn't rubble but bodies all around him.

'Sir! The area is secure. Zack and Cloud are in critical condition, requiring immediate medical attention. Sephiroth has jumped into the Mako and is presumed to be dead.' The report came from a blond Turk in a battered suit, with a determined but somewhat distraught look in her eyes. She went by the name 'Shotgun', as it was customary for lower ranking Turks.

'Good work, Shotgun,' nodded Tseng. 'We will take things from here.'

The blond Turk nodded, glancing at Hojo with the same distrust her boss showed. Tseng frowned and said in a quieter tone 'I can't promise much, but I'll let you know what happens to those two. Now make sure you see a medic.'

Shotgun managed a smile and headed out. Tseng could come off as cold and overly official, but his heart was in the right place. Even so, she couldn't stop this uneasy feeling.

Tseng looked back at Hojo, whose smile was almost predatory as his eyes were focused on Cloud and Zack. Medical unit was quickly but carefully hoisting them up onto transporter beds and hooking up some life support equipment. With a very unpleasant chuckle he proclaimed: 'Interesting. Yes, very Interesting. They will make good experimental subjects.'

'What…exactly do you mean by that?' asked Tseng, disgusted at the scientist's view of this situation. 'What experiments?'

Hojo chuckled again and his gaze shifted to the sharply dressed man. Tseng met that gaze with his usual calm demeanor and forced politeness.

'I am surprised you wouldn't be informed. I have no time to waste on an explanation.'

Tseng's fist tightened, yet he nodded. 'Very well. But don't think that you can always do as you please. There are lines crossing which not only makes you a threat to Shinra, but to Turks as well. And we don't simply let threats be.'

'Is that a threat?' Hojo almost laughed.

'It's a fact,' stated Tseng. If it was up to him Hojo would have been locked up a long time ago.

Hojo scowled at this, which made Tseng glad. So there were some things that got to him. Even though a wicked smile quickly replaced that scowl.

….

Tseng turned to the door as he heard a knock. 'Yes?'

'Sir, its Cissnei. You said you wanted to talk to me,' the introduction was hardly necessary as Turks is not a big organization and after risking your life day to day with your co-workers you quickly learn who you work with and who you can trust.

'Ah, of course. Come in' Tseng sat back down in his chair and gestured to the one in front of the table, as the female Turk walked in.

After taking the seat Cissnei fixed her suit and looked at Tseng. 'If it is about what happened on the way back…'

'It is' calmly nodded Tseng. 'Good that you already know what the issue is. What I don't understand is why you breached the protocol regardless and let Cloud know anything, let alone classified information.'

Cissnei subconsciously bit her lip as she thought of the response 'I am ready for repercussions. I let my emotions overshadow my judgment. Shinra took away so much from these men, while they did nothing but show loyalty to Shinra's mission. The least they can get is to know the truth of what happened to them.'

Tseng nodded slightly, he shared the feeling. Besides he heard Zack and Cissnei are friends, and that would cloud her judgement.

'I know this was not easy. However I do not agree with what you did. Did you consider the effect this knowledge would have on their actions? '

Cissnei grimaced slightly and shook her head. 'I did not, sir. I know I should have.'

'Now we will have to deal with the consequences. Zack and Cloud now have a reason to go against Shinra, perhaps even join a rival faction against us. They have a reason to seek vengeance on Hojo. They would seek more information on what exactly was done to them, and that touches on the whole hive of related top secret projects. Not to mention they hold powers with no equal, now that Sephiroth is gone.'

Tseng shook his head and looked back at Cissnei.

'This is the kind of offense Turks lose their jobs over. However your service has been impeccable up until now and this is not the time to let our skilled operatives go, many threats are still at large. Make sure that Zack and Cloud are monitored closely, they cannot be underestimated. Walls wouldn't keep them, but reason might. I encourage you to think of the ways to fix this situation.'

Cissnei nodded. 'I will.'

_What a mess. Shinra makes huge mistakes, leaving the clean-up to Turks. We aren't magicians_.

…

Flowers grew slowly and gently in the church that became Aerith's sanctuary and cage – Turks kept her under constant surveillance here. Which was just fine with her because this same place was also a window. A window to rest of the life on the Planet. Lifestream, which circled the world and connected all who had ever lived, coursed strongly through this place. And Aerith was the last of her race who could directly communicate with it.

Her powers weren't perfect, since no one was left to teach her the ropes. She didn't know everything that was going on, only getting faint hints of the strongest events.

Her heart still raced from feeling one of her closest friends, Zack, nearly join the lifestream. It started raining, but soon the light returned, dim because of Midgar's plate obscuring the sky above the church. Drops had collected on petals and fell to the ground when Aerith ran her gentle fingers through them. Zack was fine now, she could tell no matter the distance.

_Three years…it has been three years since I last seen him._

Aerith wrote 89 letters to Zack, but it became harder and harder to write them when no response came. She didn't know if he was alive, but she hoped he was since no one else devoted as much time to her as he did. They shared a lot of good memories, simple but precious.

They meant a lot to her. She always knew that she was a bit different, and that everyone else couldn't see and hear the Planet like she did. Zack didn't try to judge her, or pointed out the differences, he went straight past all that. Ignoring the walls like they weren't there and just having a normal conversation, as if the two of them were old friends even at their first meeting. She would give everything just to sit and talk with him once again.

Aerith smiled as her hand traveled to check on the pink bow in her hair. The soft fabric was soothing to the touch. Zack left behind more than gifts when he met someone. His smile, his friendship and his warm heart left no one in the dark. And his story was far from over.

_Be safe…Zack. _


	4. One Winged

_Jenova_

_Promised Land _

_SOLDIER_

One by one memories gathered themselves, connected to a single strong conscience, too coherent with overpowering drive and desire to simply dissolve into the lifestream. That conscience had a name, remembered and spoken by many, more with fear than with love. Sephiroth.

Together with conscience came perception. Sephiroth was aware not only of himself but of myriad of voices in the lifestream, especially those of people alive and not who had strong ties to Jenova. This was due to the nature of this entity, always aiming to come together as one after it had been separated. Reunion is what Shinra scientists called it.

_Cloud _

Startled from hearing his enemy's voice so close, Cloud opened his eyes, ready for battle. Only the sterile white of the hospital room greeted him, along with a much more familiar voice.

'Cloud? You alright?'

Zack was with him for a number of months, and over those he was always waiting for signs of recovery to appear. Naturally he would be the first to notice if something was off. His hand was on the blonde's shoulder, reassuring him.

Shinra guards were still outside their room, reminding that their stay here wasn't on the best of terms.

'Y..yeah, I think…I heard Sephiroth,' Cloud looked around but the room remained as normal looking as ever.

'Sephiroth?...Hmm…I didn't hear anything. But he is the least sneaky person I've met, so if he was here we would have known. Besides, didn't you get him that time?'

'It is hard to remember. I believe so,' Cloud looked up at Zack 'it was just…like he was right here. I don't think we've seen the last of him.'

'No, probably not. If Angeal could come back, so can he. Don't worry about it too much, Cloud, together we are more than a match for him. We did it once.'

Cloud nodded, even though a chilling feeling of unrest from that voice was still there.

Both of them were well on their way to recovery. The most severe wounds were treated surgically, and the surface ones were an easy job for Cura materia. The green glowing orb was between the beds, filling the room with soft green light. This light twisted gently around their torsos, working on treating the wounds.

To Zack this sight was nothing new, but to an infantryman, like Cloud, it was. His eyes followed one of the wide green streams, his mind deep in thought.

'This is…materia, isnt't it?'

'Huh? Yeah…You haven't used it before? Its really helpful.'

Cloud shook his head. Something about it didn't feel right. Even though materia was working, it made it hurt too. That can't be normal.

With an acknowledging nod the guards stepped to the side, letting in several people in black suits. Cloud saw Zack tense up, not so much on his own account, but Cloud's. He wasn't about to let the hard work of keeping him safe be undone by Shinra.

'Yo! Looking better!' waved Reno with a giant smile as he walked in, disregarding any rules about not yelling in the hospital. 'Hey don't act so defensive, guys. Turks saved your lives, yo. And must I tell you, it was a close call if ever there was one.'

'Reno,' sternly scolded him Tseng. 'Act professional. They have no more reason to trust us than we do them.'

'That's harsh. Plus they had enough chase for a while, we wouldn't want them to distrust everyone altogether, yo.'

'We were the ones chasing them too,' pitched in Cissnei, who was standing nearby with her arms folded.

'Oh…haha…that's right,' Reno had a habit of speaking before thinking. 'Sorry, yo.'

Tseng shook his head and looked back at Zack and Cloud. 'I apologize; it is no laughing matter, of course. Rest assured, once you recover you will not be imprisoned. It goes without saying that you will not be disposed of either.'

'What will happen to us then?' asked Zack, still on the defensive. 'There must be a catch, right?'

'That's why we are here. SOLDIER no longer has the strength and cohesion it once had. Yet, we received a word that a man, matching description of ex-SOLDIER Sephiroth, was sighted recently. This may or may not be true, but one thing is certain. We have no force that can stop him, unless we have you as our assets. You know him, you fought him before.'

Cloud's heart sank at the news. But they also gave him hope. If Shinra was no longer after them, they might have a chance at normal life once this is over.

'Sephiroth? Huh…' memories of the general flashed through Zack's mind. He was such a different man in the beginning, calm, friendly. Doing things no one else could, inspiring those around him. 'That's pretty serious.'

'Very. I know you don't hold Shinra in high regard, but its not just their world. Citizens, people you know, have no say if Sephiroth's plans go through. And those plans will not benefit anyone but him. Will you help us?'

'I don't think we have much choice. Cloud?' Zack glanced at the injured blonde.

'Yes…we will help. Don't know how much use I would be, but I'll do what I can to stop Sephiroth. I have one concern' Cloud looked up at Tseng.

'This is your only mission. Turks will keep an eye on you both afterwards, but you will be free to return to your normal…'

The building shook, as if from an earthquake. It was coming only from one side, though.

Reno and Cissnei quickly jumped in front of Zack's bed, weapons at ready. Rude and Elena took positions closer to the window, where most of the rumbling was coming from. Tseng stood between them and the guards, in case they were somehow replaced. His own skills were in infiltration so he didn't trust men that weren't directly under his command.

A robotic arm of the machine that climbed the building broke through the glass, shattering it. Its compartment opened and men and women dressed in black and blue suits with helmets that covered their whole faces. They opened fire and bullets whizzed through the room but within seconds several gunmen were brought down by Rude's fists, Elena's well-placed shots and Cissnei's shuriken.

Beast creatures in the same kinds of suits poured out of the robot and charged at a fast pace at the Turks. At the same times the guards Tseng already suspected launched their attack. Tseng docked to avoid the blow from one of the rifles while shooting the other guard in the hip. But the beast was only inches away from slicing Tseng with the sharp curved blade in its mouth. Unluckily for it, Zack had recovered a decent chunk of his strength. With a high-pitched yet human yelp the creature crushed to the ground, where it stayed still.

Tseng made sure the two guards were dealt with and looked up to survey the situation. Aside for a few scrapes and minor wounds his team was holding up pretty well. The stream of attackers was dwindling, it didn't seem like there were any more reinforcements. Bodies and rubble littered the once pristine room, amidst the smell of burning wires and cement dust.

A hint of movement amidst the confusion caught Tseng's attention.

'The robot! Rude, Cissnei, stop the robot!' yelled Tseng, running towards it. If it got to Zack and Cloud before them, they might not have time to prevent them from being taken hostage.

Elena and Reno covered their coworkers from being picked out by stray shots. The robot got pummeled by hits and got fed several rounds of bullets but it wasn't going down easily, straight on its path towards ex-SOLDIER and infantryman.

Cloud saw the robot's blade arms coming dangerously close to Zack and reacted without much thinking. Seeing that there wasn't any proper weapon nearby he could use, he figured he could use that blade arm somehow. It was surprisingly light, so he pulled it sharply and it detached itself. Unaware of uneven blue glow that surrounded him and his weapon, Cloud slammed the blade back into the robot. With a spray of sparks the machine crashed into the wall next to them and blinked out.

Zack watched the destruction with amazement and concern. It was good that now Cloud had this kind of power, but was it actually good for him?

It wasn't long until Turks claimed victory over the attackers. Reno checked one of the uniforms more closely and glanced over at Tseng.

'I thought those guys were on our side, yo,' normally he would have been more careful with his words, but since they asked Zack and Cloud for help, it is only fair they knew the whole truth.

'They are as long as Shinra has control over them. But it would seem someone else might be pulling the strings now,' Tseng reloaded his gun just in case. 'Deepground, one of the shady projects Shinra holds top secret. They did have control chips embedded in everyone there, but if those fail, they don't have any good way of fixing it.'

'They use those on people, don't they?' asked Zack, looking at one of the fallen combatants next to him.

'Yes,' simply stated Tseng.

'You know all of this and yet you still serve Shinra?' asked Zack. 'Why?!'

'We are under Shinra's command. Yes. But that doesn't mean we are blind. We watch them just as we watch the rest of the organizations. If they don't do something right, and we have the power, we can step in and prevent it.'

'That...I can see,' nodded Zack. 'Why were they after us?'

'Balance of power. Now that you are some of our strongest assets, there will be groups after you. Come, we shouldn't stay here any longer.'

Turks followed after Zack and Cloud, with Tseng in the lead. Cloud was shaking a little, probably from the nerves and using his new power. Zack put an arm on his shoulder, at which Cloud smiled, squeezing it briefly with his own hand.

They'll get through this.


	5. Old Friends

Green glow from mako energy quietly lit the contemplative face of a man with shoulder length red hair. Thoughts, words, memories and doubts all told their tale, one after another, encore after encore.

_Hero…what will monsters know of being heroes?_

'What will monsters know…of how gods think' he said in a melodious but solemn tone. It was clear to him that he was no longer a human. Last he checked, humans weren't meant to have wings.

A sea of green light, much brighter than the one he saw in this feeble hint of mako, surrounded him once. He could tell it was something bigger than anyone, and then she was there. The goddess, with a calm face but with terrifying power. She could have ended it right then and there, but instead she just closed her eyes and let Genesis return to the world more familiar.

What followed next was some days of being kept under guard, which was a mere decoration really. If Genesis wanted to leave he would have done so easily, but he couldn't think of a place to go. Back to Shinra? Heh what a joke. Yet…he saw Shinra logos on a lot of uniforms around here.

Sephiroth did say something about the facility Shinra kept secret. Experiments of questionable intent were carried out here, but then so was the case with the whole SOLDIER program. Playing with gasoline without knowing first thing about it.

Genesis brushed his hair out of his face and turned to face the owner of the footsteps he heard. Dressed in a black suit with glowing blue lines and mechanical wings, Nero nodded to him in acknowledgement.

'Follow me, someone you know would like to speak with you,' the man was brief with his speech. Years of being under tight control made their mark.

'If it is anyone from Shinra, I have nothing to say,' scowled Genesis.

'It isn't,' simply stated Nero and led the way.

...

A tuxedo cat watched the commotion in a usually quiet house, as Turks overtook it for the night. The actual owner of the house was Tseng, and while from the first impression it was almost boringly normal house, in actuality it wasn't.

'You need to find yourself a woman, yo' joked Reno, since the cat was the only family Tseng had here.

Tseng cleared his throat 'The issue of the attack earlier needs to be addressed. It is clear that it wasn't within Shinra's interest to attack the facility so we must be dealing with some outside party with access to Deepground.'

'What about Hojo?' asked Elena.

'That is one of the possibilities. However we can't rule out Sephiroth, in which case we would be facing an even more formidable opposition.'

'You are saying that…Sephiroth could have allies?' Zack rubbed the back of his neck, not liking that idea much. 'What are they? I mean, what can we expect from them?'

Tseng sighed and glanced at Rude who was the one that browsed through Deepground records recently.

'Mako-enhanced humans, similar to SOLDIER level. Not all of the procedures were successful, but we know of Tsviets and their abilities. There is a girl that is very adept at technology, a man with high defense and transformative abilities that boost his attack, a man with mechanical wings and illusion powers, an unstable woman with high precision weapons skills. Their leader possesses incredible speed and is skilled in multiple weapons, and is also virtually indestructible.'

'That doesn't sound good,' noted Cloud, thinking on that list of their enemies.

'Tsviets were under strict control, along with hundreds of lesser skilled others. You will find information on all we know so far in these folders,' Rude handed Zack and Cloud the folders and stepped back by habit. His height often intimidated people so he tried to lessen this impression when he could.

'Go over them and we will meet again in the morning. For now you should still recover your strength, the rooms are in the base downstairs. Any other questions?' Tseng fixed his suit and looked around.

'Yeah, why are you always so dry yo' pitched in Reno and got slapped on the shoulder by Cissnei. 'Hey!'

'I meant actual questions, Reno' looked at him Tseng.

'Ah…no, I am good. Welcome to the team guys. I know you aren't joining the Turks, but it's still good to have more people on the same side' Reno grinned at Zack and Cloud, gave them a quick hug and went off to give the cat some treats whistling some tune.

Cloud smiled lightly, Turks actually didn't seem like bad guys and more like… Zack, in a way. Even faced with hardships that will have most running with tails between their legs, they seem to keep their humor and humanity, bravely going ahead.

_Where does that strength come from?_

_..._

Nero stopped at the entrance and gestured for Genesis to continue on. Genesis narrowed his eyes, knowing he wasn't trusted here. His attention quickly left Nero however as a familiar voice, voice he didn't think he would ever hear again spoke.

'So you've outlived the degradation,' the body was quite different, but the hair was still silver. 'Have you achieved all you wished for?' the man smiled a calm yet sinister smile. 'Doubtful, seeing where you are now.'

Genesis lifted his chin without breaking eye contact. Sephiroth was incredibly powerful even in his original body, there was no telling which powers he possessed now.

'You truly are a monster,' scowled Genesis. 'If I did, I wouldn't be here.'

'Fair observation,' Sephiroth nodded. 'However I am simply using him as a messenger, there is a vessel far more suitable nearby.'

Genesis took a second to process the information. If Sephiroth was in this state then rumors must have been true and he did perish in that reactor. Some of him survived enough to maintain his personality and now he is searching for a body he can freely control. Was it still him or was it JENOVA and her tenacity to persist and overtake?

'The lifestream…is this where your consciousness resides?' Genesis glanced at the green mako tubes that snaked through the chamber.

'As sharp as ever. You've seen it yourself not long ago, Genesis. Lifestream's power and knowledge is immense but is also wasted. What I desire is to harness that power.'

He sounded like himself. Being hero was not good enough, ultimate power was now his goal.

_Doesn't sound like a bad one. And if he fails…could the spoils be within my grasp? Power of the gods…_

'But as you are now you require assistance…how far the mighty have fallen.'

'More of insurance than help. Tsviets are yours to command if you can handle them, now that Shinra is no longer in control.'

Genesis nodded. Who would have thought things like this were possible, what was this Jenova really and the power which Sephiroth spoke of? He wanted to see it for himself.


	6. Scorched Ruins

A small windowless room housed a variety of glass incubators and supporting machinery. Smell of unknown chemicals permeated the air, while processors hummed and clicked slowly. Occasionally a scientist or two would pass through the room, but for the most part the specimens remained undisturbed.

One of the containers was reinforced and stood apart from the others. Inside of it something that should have been lifeless still persisted, faintly aware of itself.

_Jenova_

Once she was free to not only move outside of these confines, but to overtake countless worlds, changing them to suit her needs, much like a virus would. Many perceived this entity as evil, as wherever she went ruin for the original occupants followed. Was it really that evil to want to live on? How was it different from Planet and its lifestream…for once the resources here were exhausted it would take off on its journey to find and populate someone else's world. Who was to tell Jenova didn't once come from a world just like this one, world able to break even the harshest of rules that governs all life.

Many questions existed, most of them left unanswered. One thing was perfectly clear, Jenova was no Ancient. In an effort to recreate their power, her cells were implanted into countless SOLDIER's. They did gain powers, but a different kind than they thought. Even the smallest part of Jenova still possessed her will, gnawing at the subconsciousness of the person, breaking those who were weaker, raging constant war with those who were stronger, fading into background of those with willpower that overtook hers. The last one only happened once.

Unauthorized change in flow of mako energy suddenly brought Jenova out of her slumber. For the first time she was directly connected to it. It hurt, as it was rejecting her, but soon the pain faded away. There was no choice, in her state there was little to be done before another consciousness overtook the nearly lifeless body. The skin color shifted from blue to white, everything changed and the body once again had a head and a face. Same silver hair run down to the ankles of the man, as a calm sinister smile played on his lips.

The glass of the container was in the way, but not for long. Sephiroth stepped with his bare feet on the broken glass amidst the wail of sirens and red flashing lights. He could hear again, he could feel the chill of the air and smell of smoke overwhelmed his nose. Most of him was now here, able to move as he wished to.

He chuckled to remember the sound of his voice. This hardly seemed possible, but yet, here he was.

'Well done, Genesis,' the fact that Sephiroth was here meant that his team was successful. From here on he needed no one's help, but in a way he was grateful. He was understood by at least someone, even now.

...

Sirens were going off, causing Yuffie to grimace in pain, as she shielded her small ears from the sound. She never much liked it, since in her field of work – being a materia thief – that sound meant trouble.

The young ninja was in the same cell as Tifa, a much older and more endowed woman than her. Both of them could hold their own in a fight, but Shinra army proved too much to handle. AVALANCHE activities stayed under the radar until now, but once they took out one of the mako reactors and then another, Shinra saw them as serious opposition.

'What do you think happened?' asked Yuffie.

'Something big,' said Tifa in a melodious yet concerned tone. 'Not even the guards stayed here, they must have needed all of the people…'

'Awhhh…I don't like this.' Yuffie instinctively tightened the grip on her absent shuriken, 'We are trapped in here and those sirens are driving me nuts…argggh.'

Tifa put her hand on Yuffie's shoulder, to comfort her even though she was worried too. She glanced at Barret and Cid a few cells away. The look in their eyes mirrored hers.

A loud crash a section away echoed through the hallway, as the lights flickered before going off and cement dust made everything look murky. Tifa winced from the ringing in her ears, unable to hear whatever Barret was trying to tell her. He was soon out of his cell along with Cid, which probably meant theirs was no longer locked.

'Come on! Let's get out of here!' urged Tifa, pulling the door open. Yuffie didn't need to be told twice.

'And we have to find our weapons if we can! I can't stand the thought of them having our stuff for even a second,' said Yuffie, glad to be back in business.

All Tifa had were her gloves which she got to keep since they weren't obvious as weapons, but as soon as the rest get their wepons back, the better their chances of staying alive against whatever just attacked Shinra.

...

Aerith stepped back, shielding her face from the broken glass as her containment pod got broken by a tall ex-SOLDIER in red. He freed the animal with a flaming tail too, since Aerith and the creature were held here together.

'Um…thank you…?' Aerith looked unsure, he had a somewhat dangerous air about him. A black wing was folded behind his back, which meant he was once a victim of experiments like she was.

'No need for thanks, I am sick of the atrocities Shinra commits, especially against women,' Genesis wasn't looking at her, as he and Shelke got as much of the classified info out as they could. Some types of materia that could be of use were some of the spoils of their rad. 'You might want to leave pretty fast, this building is not going to survive for long.'

'Oh…I see…' Aerith winced since a lot of people were in pain around her. 'I am Aerith,' she was standing outside of the pod, with her hand on Nanaki's mane, to calm him a little, since he looked ready to attack the man right then and there.

'Genesis' he nodded, thinking about where he heard Aerith's name before. When Shelke indicated that she got what they came here for, he glanced at Aerith and they left as quickly as they appeared.

...

Silence filled the room, as Sephiroth stood amidst another dark scene he caused. Shinra no longer had a leader, and anyone who was foolish enough to get in his way was no more. The only one he didn't find was Hojo, his biological dad. It wasn't too surprising, for rats scatter when their ship is about to sink.

_Hmm…to think I once was their puppet to do their bidding…Liars _

He wasn't too sure where Cloud was, getting used to controlling a body anew took more of his concentration than he thought. Shinra should now have lost enough of its power to not get into his way, so this was a decent result.

He walked to the part of the room that now was open to the elements and took to the skies.

...

AVALANCHE encountered little resistance moving through Shinra's headquarters. It seemed like their job of sabotaging it was done by someone else already. In a rather gruesome way which almost made Yuffie throw up a few times.

A woman in pink waved at them, even though she had little reason to trust them. 'Do you know the way out?' she looked distressed.

Tifa nodded, 'Follow us.'

Aerith and Red XIII introduced themselves as they followed the group. Yuffie freaked out when Red started talking, she wasn't expecting that he could. Red reassured her that this wasn't because of Shinra and told her about his people.

Time for chitchat was short as some of the building started to collapse. They made their way out of the building as soon as they could, and kept going without looking back.


	7. Licking Wounds

'Sephiroth has reawaken. Shinra's president is dead,' announced a grim voice on a cellphone loudspeaker Reno held out for everyone. Thick silence filled the room, as everyone tried to digest the sudden news. It was Turk's job to protect the president, so they did lose some teammates this day.

'It…does not seem like there was much they could have done, yo' said Reno, his voice stern and deep with concern. 'They say he used Jenova's body that was still in the lab, and with such high levels of her genetic material his old powers just came back. From then on, he was already deep in Shinra's heart, and a lot of good people paid a high price.'

The look of guilt on everyone's face was potent. They wished they were there and maybe that would have saved at least a life or two. It probably would have been futile, and at least for now they did retain some manpower, along with people who were out on various missions.

A mere mention of the name instilled fear and dread in Cloud's heart. It nearly took his life to defeat the god-like Sephiroth, and now that effort seemed to have been in vain. Zack's eyes grew sadder, he did work with Turks on a few occasions and some SOLDIER members might have died as well. He looked at Cloud, knowing the news did not sit well with his friend.

'Sure does sound like he became the monster he saw himself as,' said Zack, with regret. In his past experience Sephiroth was aloof yes, but also calm and often even encouraging. Like many in SOLDIER, Zack used to look up to him, but things certainly changed since then.

'What was his goal?' asked Tseng, keeping his cool even in a trying situation like this one. After all, it was his job to assess the situation and choose the best plan of action possible.

'It would seem to capture Jenova. We speculate his aim is full reincarnation and control of the planet. Rhapsodos was spotted in the area as well, they might be working together. Which is not too surprising, considering they used to be friends,' Katana's voice was shaken but he tried his best to communicate their findings.

'AVALANCHE escaped, and Aerith is with them,' continued the report.

'Wait, what?!' shouted out Zack, butting in the conversation.

There was a brief pause on the other end, Zack's affection towards the subject was well known. 'AVALANCHE are a group of activists that have become a thorn in Shinra's side while you were incapacitated. They have not harmed any hostages they've taken in the past, so I do not believe she is in any immediate danger.'

Zack frowned, Aerith seemed to be a hostage of either Shinra or another organization for most of her life. He nodded though, glad his question was not left unanswered.

'You said 'full'', Tseng picked up a potential weakness. 'Would that mean his current state is unstable?'

'Jenova is still a separate entity from Sephiroth, so her will could be interfering with his. Sephiroth could have easily inflicted more damage, but did not and instead fled the scene.'

'I see' nodded Tseng. 'As of now, Rufus is in command of Shinra and Turks will be reporting to him. Me and Elena will be returning shortly, keep us posted on victim's condition.'

Cloud couldn't help but feel guilty too, even though as fugitives there really wasn't much they could do, plus Shinra's army was hot on their tail for far too long. However, Sephiroth already took many lives, and adding to that count was something he wished he didn't have to do.

Tseng's calmness did make him feel better, perhaps there really was a way to stop more bad things from happening, and this time Cloud COULD have a hand in it.

'Rhapsodos...' paused Tseng before heading out, and looked at Zack. 'Do you think he would work with Sephiroth, given your last interactions with him?'

Zack recalled the fight he had with Genesis who looked like an ancient man rather than in his 30s. That's how...Lazard was before he died, a tinge of sadness at a loss of both his mentors appeared in his blue eyes. The way he was…it seemed like life was being drained away by something invisible, even his clothes showing signs of decay.

Then he also remembered the inhuman creature he had to fight, that Genesis turned into.

'He seemed…lost. Like he had nothing to fight for. I wasn't even sure if he was alive, more like in a coma really.'

His gaze drifted to Cloud, who now was much more coherent than he was for months. Cloud stayed silent through most of the conversation, and he couldn't blame him for it. There were some things he still couldn't forget Shinra for.

'I see...' nodded Tseng. 'Perhaps he found a new purpose, but his unpredictability also makes him a threat. We will regroup soon to discuss next course of action. Reno, you know what to do.' With that he and Elena headed out the door.

'Aye, boss!' Reno said enthusiastically, tasked with watching the two.


End file.
